'The Last Jedi' breakout Kelly Marie Tran on her whirlwind 'Star Wars' journey and Rose's future
LOS ANGELES - After years spent chasing the Hollywood dream and hustling for small parts in film and TV, San Diego native Kelly Marie Tran scored the role of a lifetime when she was cast as Rose Tico, a spunky Resistance mech-anic turned courageous rebel fighter in Rian Johnson's "Star Wars: The Last Jedi."
Roles like Rose Tico are a rarity in Hollywood, where Tran, the daughter of Vietnamese immigrants, fought her way in from the outside, gravitating toward comedy and improv. She found herself reading for one stereotypical supporting role after another - until Johnson, casting inclusively to consider actresses of all backgrounds, offered her the part after an extensive auditioning process.
"I had resigned myself to thinking that one day I would be just the weird side character who always talks about being Asian and brings kimchi to the party," said the bubbly Tran, 28, who brings charismatic enthusiasm and resolve to every scene-stealing moment as Rose, joining returning stars Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac,
